play on

play (up)on something 

1. Lit. to make music on a musical instrument. (Upon is formal and less commonly used than on.) Can you play upon this instrument, or only the one you are holding? I can't play on this! It's broken.

2. Lit. to play a game on a field or court. Shall we play on the floor or on the table? Let's play on the field. It's dry enough now.

3. Fig. to exploit something—including a word—for some purpose; to develop something for some purpose. (Upon is formal and less commonly used than on.) You are just playing on words! You are playing on a misunderstanding.

4. Fig. [for light] to sparkle on something. The reflections of the candles played on the surface of the wall. The lights played on the crystal goblets.

See also: play

play something on someone or something

to aim a light or a hose on someone or something. The fireman played water on the burning building. The stagehand played a spotlight on the singer.

See also: play

play on

to continue to play. The band played on and the dance continued until the wee hours of the morning. We played on and on until the last guests left the party.

See also: play

play on something

to have an effect on something; to manage something for a desired effect. (The on can be replaced by upon.) The clerk played on my sense of responsibility in trying to get me to buy the book. See if you can get her to confess by playing on her sense of guilt.

See also: play

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play on something also play upon something

to use something for your own advantage The news reports just seemed to play on people's emotions.

See also: play